The force of the collapse was so strong that it ripped out the cinder blocks of one wall and split the gym door in half.

"I had never seen that kind of force," school diversity officer Adam Mangana said.

Emergency crews said no one was hurt in the collapse.

"It could have been worse," headmaster Dr. Jason L. Walton said. "We were very lucky that it happened after hours. We are very lucky most of our students weren't here."

Walton said the school has turned the incident into a learning experience for journalism and engineering students. They're studying how the rain weakened the roof and are writing about it in the school paper.